Stripper mechanism



Inventor Donald W. Schaper Alliance, Ohio Appl. No. 831,265A A April 29, 1969 Continuation of Ser. No. 578,740,

` Sept. l2, 1966, abandoned. [4S] Patented Dec. 8, i970 Kenna Corporation Alliance, Ohio a corporation of Ohio United States Patent {22} Filed [73| Assignee mw m m m g Hm m Mm Hc m Pl om cm0 ma im S8 U'mF M. NUN NEBIS..

PATENTVEU un: amV

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Arron/frs PAENED um alam sHEEI a nrv 2 mw F INVENTOI? DONALD w. SCHAPER ffa,

ATTORNEYS FIG.4

The present invention relates to mechanisms for separating mold and ingots and more particularly to stripper mechanisms having mold and ingot engaging means which move the ingot and mold relative to one another to separate the same.

It is an important object of the present Ainvention to provide a new andimproved Str'iPPing mechanism for stripping a mold from an ingot and having a frame carrying` ingot engaging means and mold engaging means, the arrangement being such that the mold is stripped from the ingot by moving the ingot 1 and mold relative to each other by the respective mold and ingot engagingmeans without requiringa change in the position of the frame. A v

Another object of the present'invention is toprovide a new andimproved mold stripping mechanism having a frame carrying `an axially fixed 4rarn adapted to engage an ingot in a mold, tongs adapted to engage the mold, and power means operatively connected to theltongs for moving the tongs vertically relative to the ram and frame to strip the mold from the ingot.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved stripping'mechanism which is adapted to be connected to and supported by an overhead support, such as an overhead crane, and which stripping mechanism `has a frame carrying an ingot engaging ram fixed thereto, mold engaging tongs supported for pivotal movement about generally horizontal axes to engagethe mold and vertically movable relative tothe frame by hydrauliccylinders on either side of the ramto move an engaged mold vertically relative to the frame and relative to the ram and strips the mold from the ingot. i

A still further object of the present invention is the' provision of a new and improved'portable stripping mechanism, as

noted in the next preceding object, wherein the tongs are guided and moved as a unit during vertical movement by a guide member operatively linterconnecting the tongs and arranged to slide along the frame.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved stripping mechanism having a pair of mold gripping tongs supported and moved vertically by hydraulically operated piston and cylinderrtype motors and wherein tubular members are connected to the piston rods and surround the rods to protect them from dirt and other debris.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a new and improved compact, portable ingot stripping mechanism comprising a frame having a vertically extending mast and a powerdeck extending transversely of an intermediate portionrof the mast, an ingot engaging ram fixed to and depending from the lower end of the mast, a pair of mold engaging tongs disposed on opposite sides of the ram, a pair of piston and cylinder type hydraulic motors operatively connectedV to the mast and extending parallel to the mast, and operable to move the tongs vertically relative to the frame and ram, pump means supported on the power deck on one side of a vertical plane passing throughthe hydraulic motors and mast and operable to direct fluid to the hydraulic motors and an electrical motor on the power deck on the opposite side ofthe plane and operatively connected to the pump to provide a positive drive for the pump means,

Further objects, advantages and novel characteristics ofthe invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of` a preferred embodiment of the invention and accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a stripping mechanism embodying the present invention; r

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the stripping mechanism taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the stripping mechanism of FIG.'1 as viewed in the direction indicated by arrow 3-3;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view ofthe stripping mechanism taken substantially along line 44 of FIG.v 1; and

y FIG. 5 is a sectionalview of the stripping mechanism taken substantially along line 5-5 of FIG. 1.. l i

The presentinvention provides a portable stripping unit which is readily attachable to an overhead support, such as standard overhead cranes which are in common use in steel mills or the like where ingot castingoperations are performed.

The stripping unit, according to the present invention, is of a compact design renderingit advantageous for storage and is `quickly attachable'to the hook 4of a standard crane. In addition, the stripping unit may be controlled from the operators station on the crane by coupling a control cable carrying power and control lines from Vthe crane to a corresponding cable on the unit.- i

The stripping unit of the present invention is particularly suitable for being supported and operated from an overhead crane and will be so described in the preferred embodiment of the invention. The stripping mechanism shown in the drawings is indicated generally as 10. The mechanism l0 comprises basically a frame A, a mold hoisting means B and an ingot engaging means or ram C. vThe mold hoisting means B and the ingot engaging means C are supported by the frame A and operate to strip a mold D from an ingot E without requiring the frame elevation to change once the mechanism is positioned in operative relationship'with the mold D. The stripping operation is accomplished by positioning the mechanism l0 so that the ram engaging means C is directly above and engageable with the upper end of ingot E. The mold hoisting means B is operated to grip the mold D and movethe mold D and ingot E vertically relative to the ram C and. frame A. When the ingot E contacts the ram C, continued vertical movement of mold D strips the mold from the ingot.

The frame A comprises al vertically .extending portion or mast'12 and an interconnected'transversely extending portion vor power deck 14. The upper end of mast l2, as viewed in the drawings, has a pair l of spaced, generally triangular-shaped vend of ram C is received in an opening in the lower end of the mast 12 and is suitably secured to prevent it from moving axially relative` to the frame. The ram (C engages the top or the small end of the ingot Eas the mold D is moved vertically relative to the rarn by the mold hoisting'rnechanism B.

The mold hoisting mechanism B includes a pair of tongs 30 and 32 generally of U-shaped configuration, as viewed in FIG. 3, and are mounted for pivotal movement about generally horizontal axes by pins 34 and 36, respectively. The opposite ends of pin 34 are received in bearings 37 and 38 formed integral with the legs of the U-shaped 'tong 30. The ends of pin 36 are received inbearings 40 vand 411 formed integral with the upper ends of the legs of tong 32. This mounting arrangement permits the tongs`30 and 32 to pivot and move the lower ends of the tongs toward and away from one another, as represented by the full and broken line showings of the tongs in FIG. l. The tongs are moved towards each other to grip a mold. The mold D has a pair of lugs 42 at the upper end and the tongs 30 and 32 have lug engaging lips or portions 44 and 46, respectively, at their lower ends. The lugs 42 and lips 44 and 46 have complementary mating :surface configurations in the fonn of an ogee curve, jasshown in FIG.` 2, and which 'cooperate when engaged to connect the mold D tothe tongs tation ofthe tongs in FIG. `1.

The tongs 30and 32 aremoved towards and away from one another by a hydraulic motor 50. The motor 50 has a cylinder 52 within which a piston and piston rod 54 reciprocate upon the application of fluid to either side of the piston. The

move-:vertically and bea cylinder 52 is pivotally connected to tong 32 by a pin56. The pin 56 a extends throughA two spaced connecter members formed integral with bearing 40 of tong 32 and through a connecter member fixed to the end` of cylinder 52 and positioned between the spaced connecter members. The piston rod 54 is one another. When fluid is introduced into theleft-hand end of cylinder 52,'the cylinder 52 and piston rod 5,4 move in opposite directions toward one another pivoting the lower ends of tongs 30 and 32 away from one another.

The tongs 30 `and 32 are supported by frame rlA for vertical movement by a pair of iluidmotors 60 and 62. Motors 60 and 62 include cylinders 64 and66 pivotally connected at their upper ends.to plates16"aridl8. The cylinders 64 and 66 extend through openings 67,68, respectively, provided in power deck 1,4,"Pisronr69 and 70' reciprocate in cylinders 64 andes,

espectiv'ely,'in'response to fluid pressure acting on opposite sidesthereof.` The piston'rods A72 and 74 are fixed at their upper ends to the pistonsll? and70, respectively, and receive the pins 34 and"36,"r1s'pectivle'ly, through their lower ends. The motors '60, 62 support the tongs 30, y:32% respectively, and

move the tongs vertically Arelative to frame A;

` The Vtongs '30, 32 vare maintained spaced relationship by a 'guide-memberfl'he guide member 84 interconnects the unanime Mlrardmwsmzsothwheseram v "untfifelativetofthe frame A. The guide member 84i`s 'generally I l-sl'la'ped yin,` configuration with the vertically"exte`liding`"leg,84fbeing tubular and preferably rectangular `in"cross"f=section.flfwo sides of leg l84a have i horizontally extending'portionsat their lower ends inthe form of spaced platesiSwhichi'deline the horizontally extending leg 84b'of lishaped `member '84., The plates 85 have spaced Yopenings.t'hrcillgll"vvhich the pins 34 and 36 extend. The plates 185 are assembledon thev pin 34 intermediate the end of the 'piston rodf72andgbea'rings 37, 38. The plates 85 are assem- 'piny'36fir`ltermediate the end ofthe piston rod 74 ls"`40,`4l.` The platesSS thus interconnect the tongs 30,132, move vei'tically as aunit when the motors 60, 62 are operated. The guide member 84 is slidably connected to the mast 12 4and slidesalong Vthe side 12a of the mast l2 during vertical movement thereof. The vertical leg 84a of the member 84 has a pair of flanges 86 adjacent the upper end which slide in slots 88 in the mastvlZandmaintain the member 84 in proper position relative to themotor 60 during vertical movement of the tongs. Also,the sliding connection prevents the guide member 84 froml moving away from the `mast side 12a and insures that one of the tongs will not lead or lag the other during vertical movement;

vThe sides of legm84a other'than the sides formed by the plates 85`converge at their lower ends and extend about the lower endofpistorl rod72'lietween plates 8S so that the leg 84a surrounds piston rod `72. vThe tubular guide member 84 'telescopes about cylinder 64 of motor 60 and provides a movable dirt shield for the" piston rod 72 and cylinder 64 preventing dirta'nd otherforeign debris from entering the cylinder.

A` tubular sleeve 9,0 is provided to shield the motor 62 from dirt, etc. The sleevef'90 is preferably circular in cross section, is vconnected at its' lower 'end 'to' pin 36 and moves therewith during raising" and lowering of the tongs 30 and 32. Alternatively, the sleeve 90 may be rectangular in cross section and could be guided along mast 12in the same manner as guide member 84;" 4

As fluid under pressure is directed into the lower end of cylinders 64'and 66, the pistons69 and 70 and piston rods 72 and 74. nins 34 and36. tongs 30 and 32, guide member 84 and prinsj34,f36 and pistony rods72, 74 so that these partsr sleeve 90 are moved vertically upwardly along mast 12 as a 72, 74, tongs 30, 32, and member 84 and sleeve 90 move downwardly along mast 12. Provision is made for directing fluid intothe upper end of cylinders 64 and 66 in the event this is necessary or desired. l

Fluid under pressure for operating servomotorsnSO, 60, and 62 is provided in part in the vpreferred embodiment by an electric motor 92 supported on the power support deck 14. The motor 92 drives pump means 94 also located on the power K deck 14 the other side of mast 12. A positive drive is provided from motor 92 to pump means 94 by a shaft 96 which drives the pumplneans94,through suitable gears, not shown. The open sides of mast 12 allow for `passage of shaft 96 therethrough enabling a positive drive to be. used for the pump means 94. Suitable controls, including solenoid .operated valves, are provided to control the application of fluid frorna fluid reservoir jon the platform 14 through the pumps to the servomotors v50, and 62. .Thercontrols are of conventional construction and are preferably operated `remotely from the operators cab of the overhead crane. The electrical power line'for motor` 92 and control lines are embodied in a cable running from the crane and which isconnected to a similar cable on the stripper unit 10 by a suitable ,quick disconnect coupling.

'From ,the foregoingit shouldbe apparent that acompact, relatively sirnpl'r-and-higllly1rellable portable lngorstrip'pirlg mecharlisrnhas beenl provided" by the present invention. The stripper unit 10 is vquilly connected to the hook 22 .of an overhead crane andthe operation can be controlled'from the crane byicoupling. the cable which carries power and controls lines to thelunit. Once connected, the crane can move the stripper unit `lll into1 anv operative relationship with the mold D. When the unit 10'is properly positioned in relationship to the mold D with the tongs 30 and l 32 open, motor 50: is operated to cause` theI lower endsr of tongs 30 and 32 tomove toward one1 another `until the lips 44 and 46 on the lower end thereof engage the lugs 42 on,4 the mold D which connects the mold to the tongs. Fluid is directed into the lower end of cylinders '64 and 66 by operation of the valves which move the tongs 30 and32, mold D, and ingot E vertically relative to the frame A and relative to the ram C. As the ingot E. engages the stationary ingot engaging end 28 of the ram C, relative movement is effected between the ingot` E and mold D due to the continued hoisting of the mold D by the motors 60 and 62. This relative movement strips the mold D from the ingot E without requiring the frame A to be moved by the crane. After the stripping operation has been accomplished, the mold D can be moved to any desired location by operation of the overhead crane. yThe mold is. released from the stripper unit by operating motor 50 to move tongs 30 and 32 out of engagement with the lugs 42. The stripper unit l0 is then ready for another stripping operation.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in considerable detail, it is intended to cover all modifications, adaptations, and changes which come within the scope of the appended claims.

l claim:

1. ln a stripping mechanism, a frame, a pair of cylinders supported by said frame, each of said cylinders having a piston reciprocable therein and a piston rod fixed to said piston and extending from said cylinder, a pair of mold engaging tongs connected to said piston rods and a pair of tubular members, each of said tubular members having an open end and being connected at its opposite end to one of said piston rods, said tubular members surrounding theassociated piston rod and arranged to telescope about the associated cylinder as the piston rods are moved relative to the cylinders to thereby provide a movable dirt shield.

2. In a portable mechanism for stripping a mold from an ingot, a frame, a central support fixed to the frame adjacent to the top thereof adapted to detachably receive a lifting device to suspend said mechanism from an overhead support, an abutment or ram ixed to said frame in a position to engage an end of an ingot contained in a mold, mold engaging tongs adapted to grip the mold, means supporting said tongs on said frame for vertical movement relative to said frame, and means to move said tongs vertically relative to said frame, whereby the mold is stripped from the ingot without requiring a change in the position of said frame and ram.

3. A stripping mechanism as defined in claim 2 including a guide surface on said frame and a guide member connected to said tongs and slidable along said guide surface.

4. ln a portable ingot stripping mechanism, a frame, means fixed on said frame for detachable connection of said frame to an overhead lifting device, an ingot-engaging ram integral with said frame and projecting vertically downward therefrom, a pair of mold-engaging tongs, means supporting said tongs for pivotal movement about horizontal axes and for vertical movement relative to said frame, first power means operatively connected to said tongs to effect pivotal movement of said tongs about said horizontal axes, and second power means operatively connected to said tongs to effect vertical movement of said tongs relative to said frame.

5. ln a portable ingot stripping mechanism, a frame having a power support deck extending transversely of an intermediate portion thereof, means fixed on said frame adapted for detachable connection to an overhead lifting device, an ingot engaging ram fixed to and depending from the lower end of said frame, a pair of piston and cylinder type hydraulic motors supported by said frame and extending parallel with said ram,

y a pair of mold engaging tongs connected to and carried by said hydraulic motors and being movable relative to said frame in a direction parallel to the length of said ram by said motors, pump means on said support deck to one side of a plane passing through the longitudinal centerline of the hydraulic motors and operable to direct fluid to the hydraulic motors,

motor means on the said deck on the opposite side of said plane from said pump means, and means coupling said motor means to said pump means to drive said pump means.

6. ln an ingot' stripping mechanism, a frame, a ram xed to` and depending from said frame, a pair of side-by-side piston and cylinder type hydraulic motors supported by said frame, each of said motors being extendable parallel with the length of and alongside said ram, akpair of tongs adapted to engage a mold, one tong of the pair being connected to and supported by one of said motors and the other tong being connected to and supported by the other motor, both said tongs being movable by said motors in the direction parallel with the length of said ram, and means interconnecting said tongs and guiding them as a unit for movement in the direction parallel with the length of said ram.

7. ln an ingot-stripping mechanism, :a frame, a pair of cylinders supported by said frame, each of' said cylinders having a piston reciprocable therein and a piston rod iixed to said piston and extending from said cylinder, a pair of tongs connected to said piston rods and adapted to engage a mold, and a guide memberinterconnecting said piston rods and having a guide portion slidably connected to said frame to provide for movement of said tongs vertically as a unit, said guide member comprising a vertically extending portion of tubular configuration and a horizontally extending portion at the lower end of the vertically extending portion, said vertically extending portion of said guide member surrounding one of said piston rods and having flange means slidable in guideways provided in said frame whereby said vertically extending tubular portion telescopes about the cylinder of said one piston as the guide member moves vertically along said frame.

8. A stripping mechanism as defined in claim 7, wherein said guide member includes a horizontally extending portion comprising a pair of spaced plates at the lower end of said vertically extending portion, a pair of pins interconnecting said piston rods said tongs and said guide member, each of said pins extending through alined openings in one of said tongs, said plates and one of said piston rods. 

